Larkin Douglass Watson III (February 24, 1921 – May 1, 1989) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Mac Cory on the daytime

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' Another World''.

Life and career

Watson was born in

Jackson, Georgia Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,045 in 2010, up from 3,934 at the 2000 census. In 2020, its population was 5,557. The community was named after governor James Jackson. Hi ...

, the son of Caroline (née Smith) and Larkin Douglass Watson, Jr., a teacher. Before his acting career, he received two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

awards for his service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' (1953), ''

Sayonara ''Sayonara'' is a 1957 American romantic drama film directed by Joshua Logan, and starring Marlon Brando, Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Miiko Taka and Ricardo Montalbán. It tells the story of a ...

'' (1957), and '' The Money Pit'' (1986). He was also an acclaimed actor on the New York stage, acting in several Broadway and

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

productions, including the 1952 Broadway revival of '' Desire Under the Elms'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

. In addition, he played on such daytime dramatic dramas as '' Moment of Truth'' (1965) (a Canadian serial), ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'' (1966–1968), and ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ...

'' (1972–1973). Watson's most iconic role was wealthy publisher Mac Cory on the

'' Another World''. He was the second actor to play the role, taking over from Robert Emhardt. Watson earned the role after a critically acclaimed turn playing Kent in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' at the 1974 New York Shakespeare Festival. He portrayed the role from 1974 to 1989. He played the father of Tom Hanks' character in the 1986 film '' The Money Pit''. He won two Daytime Emmys for Best Actor, in 1980 and 1981. He was under contract at the time of his 1989 death of a heart attack, while on vacation in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and the Connecticut Death Index gives the location as Bridgewater, Arizona. His character on the show also died shortly afterward.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Douglass 1921 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male soap opera actors Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Jackson, Georgia